Require Tennessee Animal Shelters to provide medical care to animals in their care.

This dog was brought into a local East Tennessee Animal Shelter "after hours" after being shot in the chest. He was left in a kennel by an shelter officer without food and medical attention for over 15 hours. He was later euthanized the following day at the urging of concerned shelter staff members. Current laws in Tennessee require certain protocols and basic care for sheltered animals, however requiring that a veterinarian is contracted or on staff is not. This was someone's puppy and family member at some point in his life. Tragically, his life ended in a long, painful death when the outcome could have been different to shorten this dogs suffering. Please sign this position to encourage not only government policy improvement but, increased accountability and advanced protocols for shelter operators. No animal should die like this.